Doctor Destroyer

Major Schemes

In 1975, the most feared supervillian in AltEarth history--the awesomely powerful and utterly ruthless Dr. Destroyer--made his first appearance. Troubled by the threat the Nomos posed to his own plans for world domination and displeased with what he saw as the disorganized and excessively democratic approach to AltEarth defense, Destroyer decided to take matters into his own hands. Events were forcing him to move forward the timeline for his planned conquest of AltEarth. Only under his direction, he reasoned, could the world hope to survive an invasion by an advanced alien race.

Using powerful gunships equipped with gravitic flight technology and mounted blasters, Destroyer and his minions attempted to conquer California as a prelude to world conquest. With the U.S. military largely blinded and crippled by Destroyer’s initial attacks on their communications and command systems, the superheroes of America responded. After a day of fierce fighting in San Francisco, the master villain’s forces were routed, and Destroyer escaped via a teleportation device. Victory was not without a price, for Dart of the Fabulous Five and Ocelot of the Sentinels were both killed by Destroyer’s powerful energy bolts. Over a dozen other heroes suffered serious injuries. The heroes who battled destroyer formed the League of Heroes, a loose coalition to defend AltEarth from other global threats.

In 1980, Destroyer took advantage of the chaos following the Nomos invasion to hijack a nuclear device in an attempt to burn London to the ground in revenge for his disfigurement. He was prevented from launching the missile by the London Watch.

In 1986, Destroyer sought to launch a satelite capable of putting the entire world under his mental domination, but was foiled by the Invincibles.

In 1991, Doctor Destroyer built an artificial island, Destruga, and demanded that he be recognized as the head of a new nation-state. Taiwan and several other states with unfriendly relationships with the West immediately recognized the sovereignty of Destruga. However, when it became apparent that this scheme would ultimately fail, Destroyer moved the island, which was essentially a floating battle platform, towards New York. His attack was repelled by the U.S. Military and American superheroes. It was believed that Destroyer was killed in the explosions that scuttled the island; his helmet, cracked and scorched, was found amidst the sunken rubble.

In fact, he survived and established himself amongst a politically disaffected caste of Atlanteans. In the summer of 2006, Destoyer launched a scheme to kill 9 out of every 10 human beings on AltEarth unless world leaders declared him Earth's undisputed monarch. Members of the New League of Heroes and their allies tracked Doctor Destroyer to his base on an uninhabited Arctic island and stopped his plans. Destroyer's device was destroyed, but the archvillain managed to escape with his minion Gamma. Destroyer's ally Menton and the traitorous hero Brainchild were also prevented from mind-controlling world leaders gathered at the United Nations into surrendering to Destroyer.

These events are treated in more detail in the concluding episode of the City of Secrets campaign.

History/Background

Some details of the life of Dr. Destroyer are known to the public and others remain hidden. He was born Albert Zerstoiten in 1917 to a dollmaker and his wife in a small town outside of Munich. An intellectual prodigy, and in his late teens showed himself to be a genius among geniuses.

Zerstoiten was the head of the Nazi's anti-matter weapons research group. For unknown reason, Hitler ordered the unit shot. Zerstoiten learned of the Feuhrer's intent and fled the country. He defected to the French underground, the sole survivor of his team. Zerstoiten betrayed the underground to the SS in the final days of the war in exchange for passage to South America.

The transport bearing Zerstoiten to Argentina, however, was sank by a British warship. He was caught in a massive fire, which severly burned most of his body. He was rescued by the British and taken to London for medical care. Nearly a year later, he had recovered enough to travel and moved to the United States.

Because of his brilliance, his previous experiments of the effect of exposure to anti-matter and radiation on human beings was conveniently forgotten. Instead of facing judgment at Nuremberg, Zerstoiten worked for a time for the United States government on top secret projects.

Zerstoiten was rejected by his colleagues for his dark past, groteque appearance, bizarre theories, and arrogant manner. In a fit of rage, Zertoiten left the U.S. government's employ and established his own secret research facility somewhere in Central America. To support his research he produced and sold explosives and advanced weapons to revolutionaires and, just as often, to the warlords and dictators they were fighting against. It was for this activity that he gained the name "Dr. Destroyer."

Those funds Destroyer did not direct towards his own research, he invested in companies that profited from the political instability he helped to foster in the region. Behind the scenes, Destroyer arranged the political situation to his liking--supporting this side, then that, but always making a handsome profit from his foreknowledge of who the ultimate victors would be.

Destoyer eventually left Central America and travelled around the world with his new identity, establishign contacts and selling his criminal expertise to underground and criminal laboratories and research projects. Several times he worked with a criminal laboratory, stole all of its original reserach, killed his collaborators, and burned the lab to the ground. This ruthlessness gaine him profound distrust, but also a fortune which grew exponentially.

By the 1970s, Destroyer had access to nearly limitless funds, unknown technical secrest, international criminal contacts, and his own arguably superhuman intellect. Thus, he launched a number of schemes with the ultimate goal of world conquest from the 1970s until his death in 1991.

Personality

Destroyer is known for his extreme arrogance and egotism. He believes that, compared to other human beings, he is a god, and should be worshipped as such. Because he has such a high opinion of himself, he will not allow himself to be mocked without retribution.

Destroyer presents a very lofty facade. Those who meet him consider him to be evil, but intelligent and urbane. Although he likes to present himself as a man of honor; in truth he will keep his word only when it is in his best interest.

He is known to especially despise magic and those who use it, deriding it as superstitious nonsense. In truth, he fears magic because hi efforts to harness it for himself has failed. It represents a form of power out of his reach, and thus a threat to his plans and his self-image as all-powerful

Powers/Tactics

Destroyer's technology is based on many lifetimes of work, not just Destroyer's lifetime, but the liftime of many (dead) scientific geniuses whose knowledge Dr. Destroyer has stolen. His new battlesuit, hich he now permanently occupies, has undergone fifteen years of improvements over his seclusion.

Appearance

The armor has a metallic sheen, but is actually a highly advanced plastic. It offers significant protection and contains a variety of advanced weapons. He wears a golden skull helmet, which hides his disfugered face. The helmet also bears a crown, signifying his belief that he is the rightful monarch of AltEarth.

Allies & Minions

Brainchild

Warlord

Gamma

Menton

Reflection